Agrifood systems in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) face a host of interrelated challenges, including land degradation, water scarcity, high production costs, limited access to markets and finance, protracted crises and conflicts, and the accelerating impacts of climate change. Young people, women and small-scale producers are disproportionately impacted by these challenges, and though they play a key role in rural economies, are often excluded from decision-making, services, and economic opportunities.
On 16 July, over 100 co-operators gathered online to explore how co-ops and other forms of collective action can help to strengthen resilience, improve market access, enable inclusive service delivery, and foster social cohesion, in particular for and with women and young people.
The forum builds on a regional platform established through collaboration between the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), ICA-Africa, ICA-Asia and Pacific, and co-operative stakeholders in the NENA region, to establish “a regional space for exchange that strengthens the leadership, voice, and contribution of youth and women to inclusive and sustainable agrifood systems through cooperatives”, says FAO.
Esther Gicheru, chair of the ICA-Africa gender committee, opened the event with an address which described the transformation of our food systems as “not just an agricultural or economic necessity; [but] a moral, social, and ecological imperative”.
“Gender inclusion and youth participation should not just be an aspiration, but should become a defining characteristic of our co-operative movement,” added Gicheru.
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“In this context, agricultural co-operatives and farmers’ organisations are indispensable. By pooling resources, enhancing negotiation power, improving market access, and fostering sustainable practices, co-operators are key to building resilience and ensuring inclusive socio‑economic development.”
The forum also began with a moment of remembrance for two young women FAO colleagues, Dalia Abulfotuh and Noemi Pace, to honour their legacy and commitment in serving FAO and a world without hunger and poverty.
Next, a plenary roundtable discussion on challenges and emerging strategic solutions for youth and women co-operators took place, hosted by Mohammed Alyatari of the Arab Youth Sustainable Development Network, and featuring contributions from six co-operative leaders from across the NENA region, including Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
Common challenges raised included problems of geography, climate related issues including water scarcity, limited access to finance and lack of understanding about co-ops, while solutions proposed included climate-smart agriculture, greater publicity of the co-operative model, and more co-operation between and within co-ops.
“Co-operatives are not about the members, but about the co-operation amongst them internally,” said Rami Kasassbeh of Smart Earth Cooperative. “They share the same challenges, the same characteristics, so joining ranks will help us overcome 90% of the challenges.”
Kasassbeh proposed the development of an FAO-backed platform to facilitate co-operation between co-ops and co-operators in the region.
“The solution is a single platform for announcing and publishing all kinds of services that can be provided by each and every respective co-operative. One co-operative may be expert in marketing, another may be expert in AI and technological advancement, and so on. So, having a single platform, with which, at the click of a button, I can get information about all the services that can be provided by each co-operative, will help us integrate, close ranks, and achieve collective success.”
More proposals were then explored during six interactive ‘Solution Labs’, each tackling a different theme: sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and natural resource management; market access, value addition, and inclusive finance; technical and digital innovation; leadership and empowerment; peacebuilding, community resilience, and social cohesion; and valorisation of cultural heritage.
Next, the floor was handed over to participants to share their reflections, with contributions heard from Syria, Jordan, Tunisia, Mauritania and Morocco, before the launch of FAO’s newly published book, Voices of Cooperators. . The publication features 70 stories from 70 co-operatives across 13 countries, told in the first person by the people who lead them, including women and young people [read more p36-37].
Dulce Bustamante, chair of the ICA Asia-Pacific Youth Committee, closed the event, telling delegates: “Young people and women are not just the future of co-operative movement. We are already shaping it today.”
Bustamante commended the solutions-focused nature of the event, adding: “Today’s discussions remind us that while our countries have different realities, and are facing different or similar challenges, co-operatives continue to provide practical solutions.
“When we are given the opportunity to lead, we do more than strengthen our co-operatives. We strengthen communities, create opportunities, and inspire the next generation of leaders that we believe to have the power of co-operation.”
Developed through a co-creation and participatory approach, the forum also offered a two-hour training webinar a week before the event, to familiarise young participants with the foundational concepts of co-operative development, and ensure more meaningful and effective engagement during the forum.
Participants also had the opportunity to input into which priorities the forum should continue to focus on, in a live session delivered using interactive survey tool Mentimeter. The forum has now been established as a continuous space for exchange, laying the foundation for sustained engagement and collaboration, leading into a 2027 edition.
